Oakland Athletics pitcher Blake Treinen works against the Texas Rangers during the ninth inning of a baseball game Friday, Sept. 22, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
By Matthew T.F. Harrington
The Oakland A’s snapped the Texas Rangers’ four-game win streak Friday night at the Oakland Coliseum, beating the Rangers 4-1 to dampen their foe’s Wild Card hopes. Kendall Graveman fired seven innings of one-hit ball and Matt Olson hit his 24th homer of the season.
Graveman scattered just six hits, including a solo homerun to Shin-Soo Choo in the top of the third to pick up his 6th win of the season. Olson staked Graveman to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second, blasting a right field line drive home run off Rangers starter Nick Martinez that also scored Khris Davis.
The A’s added a run in the bottom of the third after Jed Lowrie’s RBI single, then added another on a Matt Joyce run-scoring single-bagger for a 4-1 lead. Graveman would walk just three and punch out four to hang on for the win.
Chris Hatcher pitched a perfect eighth inning, his 11th straight scoreless frame, then Blake Treinen managed to walk the tight rope, allowing two hits but striking out two for his 13th save. The Rangers send Miguel Gonzalez to the hill hoping to cut into the 3.5 game Wild Card deficit Saturday while Oakland counters with Sean Manaea.
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